Haji AbdulWahab’s Rare Visit To Nigeria - Tablighi Jama’a Annual Gathering

August 30, 2008

This year’s Annual Tablighi Jama’a gathering known as Ijtimah being held in Ilorin the Capital of Kwara State Nigeria is attended by a rare important guest Haji AbdulWahab and some other prominent elders of Tabligh from Pakistan and other countries.

For the first time the Amir of Pakistan Abdul Wahab is visiting Nigeria to attend the annual Ijtimah. He is accompanied by many distinguished Scholars and prominent workers and elders of Tabligh who have been working and making effort to help revive and reform the Muslim Ummah.

Among the distinguished speakers accompanying the Pakistani Amir included Bhai Shabbir the Amir of Tabligh in Lahore who is said to be devoted in undertaking the effort for over half a century. I had the opportunity of meeting both Haji Abdul Wahab and Bhai Shabbir in Amsterdam Holland in May this year during their European tour of Tabligh and Daawah. It was during that time I was reliably informed that they were proposing to undertake a tour to Nigeria sometimes in August this year. I was so elated to hearing such news.

Though his scheduled were so tight yet Sheikh Abdul Wahab tried to accept invitations to attend Ijtimaa in different countries.

Like the Ijtimah in Ilorin there were so many other Ijtimahs which the prominent distinguished guests attended in Europe sometimes in April and May this year.

The Missionary Tabligh tour took them round to so many different Countries in Europe which included Portugal, Spain, France , Belgium, Holland ,Sweden and Finland. Maximum number of days they used to spend at a time was not more than three days during each visit.

Some countries that could not host Ijtimah were pleased only to receive Sheikh Abdul Wahab and his companions for few hours with so many workers willing to travel all the way to other Nations to receive such distinguished guests who were treated like Head of State and other VIPs. So Nigeria is lucky to have the Sheikh in their midst for four days .

He is so influential and respected by all and sundry in Pakistan and abroad. Even though the two elderly preachers are in their late 80s but they undertook the long strenuous European journey by car rather than by plane. Both elderly Muslim preachers have been making effort for more than 60 years.

Sheikh Abdul Wahab who is well known all over the world has been making the effort since the time of the founder of the Movement of Jamaat Tabligh Maulana Ilyas who died in 1944.

So you can then imagine how long he has been making effort of giving daawah. He is among the few elders that remained who worked with Maulana Ilyas and as mentioned earlier this was his first time coming to Nigeria.

As for Bhai Shabbir he was in the Country many times before. Coincidently our jamaa was in Amsterdam from London when I met the two distinguished elders in May this year.

When I introduced myself to Bhai Shabbir saying I am from Nigeria he told me his story how his Jamaah went to Nigeria in 1961 during which they met with prominent Nigerians including the Late Sir Ahmadu Bello the Sardauna of Sokoto the Premier of the then Northern Nigeria.

Well known for his generosity the Sardauna was said to have sent gift of £100 to the Jamaah through his Secretary which Bhai Shabbir recalled during their visit to Kaduna. As part of their practice the jamaa never accepted and even now does not accept gift .

Therefore they decided to send back the £100 gift given to them by the Sardauna.

However the Sardauna’s Secretary interjected immediately pointing out that Sardauna would be furious if they did not accept the gift. In the meantime added Bhai Shabbir they consulted one another on what to do on this affair.

As it was their policy that they spend their money and wealth for the sake of Allah therefore don’t take money from anyone so they finally came with a decision to take only one pound out of the hundred pounds and returned the rest to Sardauna.

This impressed the premier very much compelling the Sardauna to pay a personal visit to these distinguished preachers whom he had high regard. He directed the head of Immigration to come personally and stamped their passports. Mr Shabbir told me how generous the Sardauna was confirming what the people were saying about the Late Ahmadu Bello.

They visited so many places including Zaria where they met the Emir of Zazzau Alhaji Muhammadu Aminu. It was in Zaria he told me one top civil servant from the City who came to know what transpired between the Jamaah and the Sardauna begged to host the jamaa in his guest house in Zaria for two days.

A colleague of Bhai Shabbir who travelled with him to Nigeria in 1964 Qari Siddique of the Old Markaz London told me that he met Haji Shabbir in Dewsbury last week and recalled with nostalgia it was only two of them left among the Jamaa which went Nigeria 44 years ago.

Haji Abdul Wahab Bhai Shabbir and other elders travelling together were here in U.K where they attended a similar Ijtimah in Dewsbury Yorkshire which started the Friday 21st and ended on Sunday 24th August.

They left for Nigeria on Monday the 25th by the Virgin Airlines and are expected to be in Nigeria till Friday 29th before leaving for one day to Ghana and another day in Chad before flying back to Pakistan probably before the beginning of Ramadan which is just around the corner.

Wa Akhiri Daawanah Anil Hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen.